A chance to redeem yourself
by bedstories
Summary: It had been five months since Elsa had revealed her ice powers, but little by little, things were going back to normal. When the King of the Southern Isles, Hans older brother, begs Elsa to take Hans in as a servant for redemption of his actions, she reluctantly agrees, not having a clue what it would mean to have that man for one month...
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: An utterly strange proposal

It had been five months since the incident. Five months since Arendelle had seen its coldest hour and five months since Elsa had revealed her powers and the reason why the king and queen had closed the gates. Although the city still felt a tiny bit of fear towards Elsa's icy powers, they had begun to get used to the queen making ice tracks and snow in the middle of summer and she slowly won the trust and love of the townspeople again. But just when things were finally running smooth for Elsa and the kingdom, an unexpected turn of events came to call.

The day had risen with clear normality. Elsa was sleeping on her bed, dreams of snowflakes and ice castles going on in her head when a knock on her door woke her with a start.

_Knock, knock!_

"Huh! Uh-ungh…mmm…" she moaned, sitting up on the bed, her hair all ruffled and out of place.

"Your highness, are you still asleep?"

"Nah! Nah, I woke up hours ago…" Elsa yawned, rubbing her eye, but not opening them yet.

"Oh, okay. I come to tell you, you have a guest waiting for you in the hall. Shall I tell him to wait some more?"

"Uh-huh! Yeah, tell 'im! I'll be right…there…" she moaned, falling asleep over her knee. She jolted awake again, yelping,

"Who is it?"

"It's the king of the Southern Isles…Hans' elder brother."

"The king of what now?!"

Now Elsa was totally awake. She jumped out of the bed and began getting ready, brushing her hair with one hand as she made her iconic ice dress with her other hand. The servant hesitated in front of the door, listening to the queen do and undo in her room.

"Uh-uuh, I-I'll tell the king to wait some more."

_Slam!_

"No."

Elsa slammed the doors open, all dressed and with her hair tidy. Even her face looked perfect. She gave the servant a look that could've frozen him right there, and stared.

"Announce me to the king when I enter the room." She ordered, voice calm yet firm. You could see in her eyes she wasn't pleased with the sudden early-morning visit. The servant nodded effusively, heaven knows if by fear or by acceptance, and raced down the hall, followed closely by the queen.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the waiting hall, an older man with a small tight crown and very formally dressed paced from here to there. You could see under his feet the trail he was leaving from the waiting he'd done. He tapped his front teeth and muttered things to himself: he was nervous. The petition he had to propose to the queen of Arendelle wasn't one that would be easily accepted, and he feared very much for that….

"A-hem!" a small, gruff voice cleared its throat behind the king.

His Highness turned around and looked up at Elsa, who was as beautiful as she was untamed in front of him.

"Announcing her royal Highness, Queen Elsa of Arendelle!" the little servant said, bowing as Elsa walked past him and towards the king. He walked over to Elsa and gave a small, almost impolite bow before sputtering,

"Queen Elsa, I must speak with you urgently."

"Good morning to you too, your majesty." She replied, nodding her head in salutation. The king stuttered at the answer, and nervously added,

"Y-yes, good morning. A-as I was, saying, it is of great urgency that I…"

"Why don't we continue this talk in a more private location, hm?" she suggested, throwing a look at the still bowing servant behind them. The King opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out. That made Elsa chuckle a little: the man wasn't even what her father's age was and he was already so uptight…

"Um, yes. Yes, of course. We'll…walk around, then?" he asked. She nodded and guided the king out to the palace grounds.

"Tell me, your majesty, what is of so much urgency? You arrived very early here in Arendelle." She said, noticing from the king's eyes he hadn't slept much.

"I haven't slept a wink, but I couldn't leave the matter for any later. You remember my brother Hans, right?" he asked, looking more afraid than before.

"Yes, I remember him." Elsa replied sternly, "What about him?"

"Well, I…my brothers…they tried to place a proper punishment for what he did to you…which is unforgivable! But he's my brother and I…"

"You don't want him to be too harmed?" she suggested. The king sighed heavily and whispered,

"Yes."

"I agree with you in that. And what does finding a punishment for Hans have to do with your visit here?"

"Oh! Um, it's just that…I was hoping you would…" he stopped, seeming as if he couldn't find the right words for what he had to say. Elsa stopped strolling as he looked for the words, suspicion slowly crawling up her features. What was it that was so difficult to say?

"…you would accept having my brother here as a servant?" he finished slowly.

Elsa gave a small, startled gasp and stared at the nervous king in front of her. He was asking for the one person responsible for almost killing her and her sister to stay in the castle?!

"What are you…?"

"Please! I beg of you! It would be like some sort of redemption for his actions…"

"N-no…"

"Please! He said he was profoundly sorry of what he did…"

"He also said he was profoundly in love with my sister!"

"And if he's ever a bother for you, you could easily send him back!"

"No! I won't do it!" she declared firmly, beginning to walk away from him.

"No, wait, Elsa!" the king exclaimed, following behind her as she walked back inside the castle. Elsa was outraged. It wasn't like her to treat guests like she did the king, but how dare he propose something like that? After what that idiot did to them! To Arendelle!

"I'm very sorry, your Highness, but I cannot have that no good, miserable, liar and…!"

"Wait a second." The king took Elsa's wrist gently and pulled her back so she faced him. When he did that, she gave another startled gasp, but this one sounded more outraged that frightened. Her features softened though, as she saw the desperation and the hurt in the king's eyes. They must've looked like her own eyes did when Anna asked her to melt away the winter back during the incident. The king pressed his lips and lowered his head with a heavy sigh. He stared back into Elsa's own blue eyes, and whispered,

"Please, Elsa…my brothers wanted to kill him."

"But..."

"This is my only option to keep him alive and avoid my other sibling's revenge over him. I beg of you, Queen Elsa…please help me." He pleaded, his voice full of hurt and anxiety.

Elsa sighed and yanked her arm away from the king but she didn't run away. She didn't call the guards. She didn't even say no again. It couldn't be said that she didn't understand the king; she would also do anything to keep her sister Anna away from harm, including what the king was doing now. But to have that criminal back in her lands again…and see his face once more…it wasn't an easy thing to give in to.

"I…I can't…"

"Hans is already in the vessel, waiting for your decision. If you like, I can stay in Arendelle until you make a decision, or…"

"Alright."

"…what?"

"I said, alright. I'll take Hans as a servant, but for only one month! If by then he doesn't demonstrate the regretful behavior you say, you take him back to your country and see what you can do with your other broth…ah!"

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!"

The King was so happy with her accepting his proposal he grabbed her by the waist rather awkwardly and spun her around like she wasn't the Queen or anything royal in particular. He even had the gall to kiss her on the cheek!

"Thank you! I…oh." When he realized all that he had done, he let her down and cleared his throat.

"I-um…I'm sorry...a-and grateful! Truly grateful, thank you, Elsa…"

"It's alright." She chuckled, amused at how ecstatic he had been.

"I'll tell the guards to take Hans to you so you can speak and I'll come back in a month. Right?"

"That is the deal…"

"Thank you so much, Elsa. I'll be forever in debt with you for saving my brother's life." He said, shaking her hand. She nodded and smiled as much as she could, even though she was writhing with pure, unaltered and deep regret. What kind of foolishness had she committed just about now…?

The king jogged his way out of the castle and towards the pier while Elsa rubbed his eyes with both exhaustion and remorse. Another of the servants walking around saw her and gently touched her shoulder,

"Your majesty, is everything alright?"

"No, Genevieve, nothing is alright now. If you'll excuse me, I'll be in the kitchen, probably drinking my father's wine…" Elsa groaned, walking slowly towards the kitchens.

How was she going to tell Anna…?

**A/N: My first Frozen story. I'm so excited! Hello and welcome to another of my stories. I know its not the best introduction and probably not the best title either, but it'll get good, you'll see! I'm going to see how people react to this and then upload the next chapter. I didn't know some of the names in English (I saw the movie in Spanish so I might get some things wrong) so if you guys see any mistakes or OOC'ness, then please, do tell. Other than that, I hope you've enjoyed it and don't be afraid to leave a review! **


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Too much ice in your brain

Anna loved how the day had started. The sun was up, the birds were singing and when she turned around on her bed, Kristoff was there, sleeping soundly next to her. Even though she had only three months of marriage with Kristoff, she felt everything that was being with him was perfect. She scooted closer to him and brushed some of the bangs off his face, a soft smile on her face. He was so…how to describe it? Cute when he slept. Although he was always, cute, I mean, it's why he married him but he had sort of a different kind of cute when his eyes were closed and his breathing was paused and calm.

She leaned in and kissed his cheek, making him stir awake.

"Err…" he growled, low but not threatening. She giggled playfully and moved back so he could turn to see her.

"Good morning, ice man." She whispered.

"Mm…morning. How long have you been staring at me like that?"

"Long enough. Ready to start the day?"

"Not quite, I still wanna stay here with you." He mumbled, his voice early-in-the-morning rough.

"Aw, that's sweet. But you have to get up! You have a busy day today and so do I, so let's go!" she said, suddenly wide awake and jumping off the bed. She looked around for her shoes, but they were on the other side of the bed. She walked around the bed, slipping one shoe on when she felt two strong hands pull her by the waist on the bed again.

"Come here!"

"Aah-haha! Kristoff!" she giggled, squirming in his arms as he sent kisses down her neck. She relaxed into the moment and closed her eyes with a moan, enjoying the feel of his lips on her skin when suddenly, they heard the door slam open and a friendly voice call to them,

"Good morning, Anna and Kristoff! I…oh! Are you two…busy?" it was Olaf, who looked at them quite awkwardly. The pair quickly let each other go, practically jumping to their side of the bed, and cleared their throats,

"A-hem! No, no, Olaf! We're…fine! W-what are you doing here?" Anna asked, blushing deeply and throwing awkward side glances to Kristoff, who did the same with her.

"Oh! Elsa sent me to get you! She wants to see you at the castle, it's something really urgent!" he said, walking around the room, his black snow cloud following just over him.

"She wants us at the castle? Did she say why?" Kristoff asked this time, raisin a brow. Olaf shrugged his shoulders and smelled a little flower in a vase next to the window.

"Mm! Well, she didn't exactly say why, but she was really upset and smelled a little like wine. I think…"

"Whoa, whoa, wait, wine?" Anna asked, interrupting.

"Yeah, why?"

"Elsa never drinks wine, she's not like that. Tell Elsa I'll be right there, okay, Olaf? And tell her to stop drinking too!" Anna said, jumping out of the bed and running to her wardrobe, grabbing a decent dress (given the fact she had been in a nightgown).

"Yes, sir!" Olaf smiled, taking a leap and running out of the house, the cloud following just a little behind. She slipped the nightgown off and the dress on, forgetting Kristoff was still in the room.

"Anna, what do you suppose is wrong with Elsa?" he asked, also getting out of bed and walking to the wardrobe.

"I don't know, but if it made her drink, it can't be good. I don't know what her powers can do if she's drunk, and…what are you doing?" she stopped brushing her hair to stare at her husband.

Kristoff had taken out his best clothes and was getting ready just like she was. He looked up at her with his pants still down and shrugged,

"I'm getting ready to go with you."

"No! No, you don't have to go with me, Kristoff, you have a busy day today and I can't make you lose a day's work because o…" she couldn't continue her sentence because Kristoff had walked over (pants up already) and placed a finger on her lips.

"Anna, it's okay. I don't mind losing a day's work to go with you to the castle. Your sister needs you and it might mean you need me too, so it's settled. Besides, we're married. We get into problems together and we get out of them together, alright?" he explained, giving a small smirk at the end. Anna sighed and looked another way, unable to hide a smile. Then, she leaned in and peck-kissed him on the lips.

"You're so sweet sometimes, Kristoff."

"That's a word I do not expect to describe me so deeply." He said, walking over to his boots, who were on the other side of the bed.

* * *

Back at the castle…

"You…did…what?!" Anna screamed.

"Anna, keep yourr voishe down!"

"No, I am not keeping my voice down! Look at you! You're slurring, you stink of Norwegian wine and you're meeting what could be our worst rival any minute! Not to mention I don't understand why you're meeting him in the first place!" she screamed again, her cheeks becoming red.

The two sisters were now in the royal kitchen, Elsa drooping over a table with a bottle of wine on one hand and a glass in another, and Anna standing few feet away from her, looking furious. Elsa raised a head with difficulty and looked into Anna's eyes with remorse.

"There wash nothing I could do! The king wash begging and he grabbed my wrisht and…"

"He was threatening you?"

"No, no! He…his…hish brothersh want to kill Hansh…"

"Which isn't such a bad idea." Anna interrupted, crossing her arms with an angry pout.

"Anna. Either way, the king wantsh me to keep him ash a shervant for redeem…something, for his actions. I couldn't say no! He was protecting his brother…"

"Who tried to kill you and me! Elsa, this is a big mistake. You can't…keep him here! He'll distract you and he'll try to manipulate you like he did me, and that's the last thing I want for you." Anna said, sitting next to her sister and lowering her head to Elsa's level.

Elsa turned around and took a good, long look at her little sister. Her baby sister. The one she'd wanted to protect ever since that accident when they were little, and the one she'd protect for the rest of her life (and perhaps as a spirit, she'd protect her too). But this time, it was _Anna_ who was protecting _her_. She had more experience with the Hans guy than she did, and she could really see the fear for her in her eyes. But she had given her word. Elsa let go of the wine bottle, not really caring when it crashed into smithereens and splashed wine all over the place, and stretched her hand to softly pass her fingers over Anna's cheek,

"Oh, Anna…I know what kind of decision I made. But…I gave my word, and I can't back down on it. "

"I know, I know, but…!"

"Besides, it'll only be for a month! I'll be doing a million things this month; I won't have to worry as much about Hans than you think. I'll just hand him in to the servants, let them deal with what he does or doesn't do and when the month passes, I'll send him back! Okay?" Elsa said, her drunkenness slowly disappearing. Anna pressed her lips and nodded, knowing he couldn't convince Elsa otherwise. So, if you can't beat them, join them, right?

"Okay, Elsa, I'll support you in everything you do. But promise me you'll make him clean the pig stiles and polish every piece of metal in this castle!" Anna exclaimed, putting her hands together and staring at Elsa with lost puppy eyes. Elsa chuckled and gave a soft push on Anna's arm.

"Sure, I'll even make him wash every rug. Now, let's go see this King of the Southern Isles and his littlest brother!" Elsa declared, beginning to stand up, but before she even gave her first step, she tripped over her own feet and fell face-flat on the floor.

"Oh my gosh, Elsa!"

"I'm alright! I'll just need some help with the walking department…ow…" Elsa whimpered, getting up again with the help of her sister.

* * *

"I hate you."

"You'll love me once this is over, Hans."

"I still hate you."

"Why are you whimpering so much? We've talked about this, you said you'd be under Elsa's care while I deal with our brothers so you don't get killed." the king of the Southern Isles said, turning to his brother as they walked from the fjord to the castle. Hans didn't look back at his brother, though: he kept his gaze firm to the floor as his brother's guards practically dragged him through the streets.

The king sighed and with a wave of his hand, ordered his guards to stop. He kneeled down in front of Hans, and stared at him. Hans looked up and also stared. Although the guards didn't understand what was going on, it was a family thing, speaking without words, just the eyes. After a while, Hans sighed and lowered his head even more, his forehead almost touching the ground, and the king smirked.

"I knew you'd be reasonable, brother."

"I hate you with all my being just about now." Hans growled. The king nodded and signaled the guards to continue the walk to the castle. Whether Hans knew it or not, he hated himself with all his being too. He could be mocking with his little brother, yes; he could sometimes be annoying, yes, that too; but to leave Hans in the hands of the Snow Queen (which he did not doubt one tiny bit) was something he wished he didn't need to do. He wished he could keep the boy in his castle, in his home, where he could rebuild his life after the eternal winter incident. But he had to leave Hans here. His other brothers weren't as mature as he was, and would easily throw the top punishment for treason without a second thought. Savages.

He gulped down his feeling of guilt and tried to change them for something else. _Remember this is for his own good_, he reminded himself. He preferred seeing his little brother, a prince, dressed in rags and washing floors, than seeing his tombstone with flowers because he didn't have the courage to act against his brothers.

* * *

The exchange between the sovereigns was held rather quickly, much to Hans dismay. When his brother and Queen Elsa were done talking and doing paperwork and things, it was already time for his brother to leave. The Southern Isles' guards took off his cuffs and took a step back from him, signaling his time was coming. His brother gave him a goodbye hug, a sincere smile he wished he could keep, and left without another word. He was left in front of the four people he'd most damaged so long ago; Elsa, Anna, Kristoff...and maybe Olaf, but he wasn't so sure about him. Elsa walked in first, and looked at him with the royal gaze he so detested.

"Hello, Hans." she said stiffly.

"Hello, Elsa." he replied mockingly.

"Hello, _your highness._" she corrected. "Remember, you are not a prince in this castle anymore. You are a servant, and you must act accordingly."

"Yeah, yeah, just send me to the prison and wait a month."

"Unfortunately, I can't." she smirked. Hans didn't let it show, but if he did, he would've shrunk with that smile. What was she thinking...?

"I have to give you some work to do, or else this punishment wouldn't have a reason to be, right?" she added, walking around him. He cleared his throat and stood taller, trying to seem like he wasn't nervous of what job she'd put him.

"I'm afraid you're right." he said, unwillingly. She chuckled mischievously and raised a brow at him, like an inspector. This made him very uncomfortable: that look couldn't mean he was going to like what she was going to say...

"Genevieve! Escort our new member of the staff to the stables. He can do his first hours there." she ordered snapping his fingers. A petite, old lady walked over, taking Hans by the arm and yanking him away. As the two walked to the stables, Hans looked back and saw Elsa wave goodbye to him with her fingers. Using her powers, she closed the door and he was left with the old lady.

This was going to be hell.

**A/N: Second chapter up! Hope you guys liked it, although I think the ending was a bit too rushed. And slightly lame. I don't know, I'll let you guys decide. I really wanted to explore the relationship between Hans and his older brother in this chapter, an I think I did okay, but I wished I could write some more details. I was just so excited I couldn't wait to upload a second chapter. I'm so glad you guys liked the first one! I hope I can live up to your expectations for the rest of the story. Although these two updates were fast, I'm not sure I can keep this pace up. Updates might be every two days, every three, every week, it depends on what pops up during the week. Doesn't mean I'll leave you without updates a whole month, it just means I'll be pretty irregular. Other than that, I hope you liked it and if you can, leave a review! I like reviews, and they make me write faster. :)**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Holding a grudge

"Come on, be quick, we must get to the stables before supper!" the old lady said, yanking on Hans arm.

"Ow! Hey, take it easy; I'm taking a look at my new home." He said, half sarcastically and half admired at how beautiful the Arendelle castle was.

"Huh! How rude; don't look at it too much, you are not going to stay here for long." She replied impatiently.

As the old lady he now knew as Genevieve pulled him through the castle grounds with an outraged huff, he saw all the other members of the staff and what they were doing: on one side were some people unloading and carrying boxes with food that would be heading for the kitchens; on another side were some of the guards changing turns and talking: and to his front were the stables, a big, long building that smelled.

"Great." Hans growled.

"Gimme a break, Genevieve!" Hans heard. The old lady stopped suddenly, making Hans almost fall, and smiled,

"Yes, Jonfen?"

Hans eyes widened when he saw Jonfen's figure: a huge, dirty blonde haired man with more muscle than head and a deep, tough voice that showed off his many years of service in the castle. He looked younger than Genevieve, though they talked like they've been together their whole life, which could always be true. Jonfen took one look at Hans and burst in laughter.

"**HAhahaha**! Look at this! I ask for strong, healthy men to take care of these horses, and what they send me is a little princess? Ahahaha!"

"Queens orders, you must take him in and make him work. It's his punishment." Genevieve said, almost proud. Hans growled under his breath and glared up at Jonfen. Jonfen furrowed his brows and puckered his lips,

"What for?" he asked, curious. Genevieve shrugged her shoulders to her ears and shook her head,

"Don't know. Here," she pushed Hans against Jonfen's stomach, "dress him up and get started. I have to go to the kitchens. Bye!" she finished, leaving the two men in a flash. Hans took one step back and so did Jonfen. The two glared into each other eyes, not trusting the other not one bit. But in the end, Jonfen was the one who broke the silence,

"Well, princess Jasmine, you ready for your first day in the Arendelle castle stables or do you wanna go back home to your pretty jewels and comfy chairs?" he teased, smirking at Hans. This made him think: what exactly did he do so wrong that everyone wants to humiliate him?

"I'm not a princess, and I'm not so useless that you have to talk to me like that." Hans snapped back.

"You're gonna have to prove it then. Follow me, I'll show you around." Jonfen said, turning his back on Jonfen. Hans followed the man closely, looking at the horses and how well kept they were. Even the horses of the guards, in a different cell than the royal ones, were clean, fed and taken care of like they were royalty.

"First thing we're gonna do with you is change those clothes: too fancy for a job like this." Jonfen said, snorting at Hans clothes. Hans looked down at each other and raised a brow: he wasn't even dressed like a prince. He just had a white long sleeved shirt, some brown pants and black leather boots; what gave him away…?

"Second, you're gonna learn to get up with the sun and to shut your yap when told. Stableboys like you don't get the same attention as guards or cleaning maids and if you ever talk back or even murmur something at me or any of the guards and Heaven help ya, the Queen, you're getting what's coming for ya."

"Yeah, yeah, anything else before I grab a rope and kill myself?" Hans snapped, rolling his eyes and staring at Jonfen with a bored expression. Jonfen just smirked and said,

"One last thing; that rope is to tie the horses for their daily walk. If you use it, you pay it, be it with your head or your back. You choose, princess." He hissed, taking a brown bag from a shelf and throwing it at Hans.

"Oof! What's this?" Hans asked, taking the bag with two fingers.

"That's your new clothes: they're the best in the house. Now take that fancy pantsy suit of yours and change: you start in five second or else." Jonfen replied, leaving Hans alone in a small room in the stables. Hans looked around and saw a bucket, a mop, a pitchfork and a broom; the janitors room. He groaned and hit his head with the wall,

"Why-y-y-y-y-y? I should've chosen the other kingdom instead of this!" he hissed at himself. Taking the fact he was pitying himself in a janitors room (which is highly undignified for a prince like him) Hans decided to stop whimpering and get changed so he could start his job and get out of there as quick as he could.

A while later, he walked out of the janitors room, dressed in a green shirt, stained with mud and other ungodly things, some old, brown ragged pants and boots that couldn't be called boots anymore. It was insulting!

"It was about time you got out, princess!" Jonfen exclaimed, bucket and broom in hand. Hans glared at Jonfen, but didn't have the time to enjoy it when he was thrown the broom in his face.

"Oof! Could you stop throwing things at me like some sort of...?!"

"Ah, ah, ah, where are your manners, stableboy?" Jonfen teased, raising a brow menacingly mocking. Hans sighed heavily, remembering his new position, and growled,

"What do you want me to do, sir?"

"The stables need a good sweep. These horse get allergies." Jonfen said, starting to leave the stables.

"Wait, that's it? No feeding them, no brushing them, no nothing? What happened with all the hard work you said?" Hans asked, confused. Jonfen turned around and chuckled,

"Well, I never thought you'd beg for it. After you sweep the dust out of here, you'll clean every single one of these stalls as thoroughly as you can, then you'll feed them, give them water, then when the guards change shifts again, take this half out for a walk. When you're done, brush them and then you'll be out for the day. Capiche?"

Hans gulped and nodded. Why did he even open his mouth?

"That's a good lad. See ya."

"Whoa, where are you going?"

"Lunch. I'm hungry."

* * *

No sooner than the door had closed behind Hans and he was out of Elsa's sight, the room suddenly began to snow heavily, big chunks of it falling over Anna and Kristoff, and the windows covered with frost in a flash.

_"Mmoomph!" _Anna mumbled an _oof_ from under the pile of snow over her. Elsa gasped and ran over to her,

"Anna!"

She dug through the snow with her hands, desperately looking for her sister. _Not again, not again_...she repeated in her head, afraid she'd done her harm. When Anna's red hair popped out of the snow, and she sneezed and shook her head to shake away the snow, Elsa let out a relieved gasp and put a hand to her heart.

"God, I'm so glad you're okay."

"Brrr! Well, that went well, huh?" Anna asked, hugging herself to keep warm. Kristoff also popped out of the snow, shaking his head like Anna had done,

"Yeah, I know the room sometimes snows when you're nervous, but this is ridiculous!" he added, getting up to help Anna stand.

"I'm sorry, guys. I tried my best to hide in my powers when he was in, but I ended up spilling it all over you. I'm sorry." Elsa said, embarrassed at her lack of control over her powers.

"I don't mind!" Olaf said, waving a stick hand from up a small hill of snow. Anna giggled at that and brushed some snow off her arms, starting to get up.

"You should've let your powers take over the room earlier. Hans should know you have the power to freeze him on the spot if you want to."

"I didn't want to seem like the villain when the only prisoner here was him."

"Oh, well: but it would have been really fun to see him shaking off snow instead of watching Kristoff do it." Anna said, nodding her head at her husband. Kristoff realized the conversation was about him, and stuck his tongue out at Anna before running his fingers through his hair to get the snow out. The sisters laughed at how silly he looked for a second before Elsa became serious again.

"Anna, thanks for staying with me while I attended the king, but now you have to go. I don't want to take any more time from you."

"Are you serious? We're sisters! I'd do anything for you. Including staying here all day with you..." Anna replied, her voice all sing-song as she wiggled her finger at Elsa.

"No, really, I know how much you have to do today, so its best if you leave. Plus I have to do things myself, so..." Elsa shrugged, not ending her sentence. Anna whined like a girl and placed her head on Elsa's shoulder,

"Oh, okay...see ya."

"See ya." Elsa placed a kiss on Anna's cheek and hugged her tight, and with that, Kristoff and Anna were out of the room and soon, out of the castle. Once they were out, Elsa turned around to Olaf, who was making a mini-Olaf of his own and talking to it.

"Olaf, I need a favor from you."

* * *

The day passed slowly from Hans point of view. He'd never done more work than just his sword fighting classes and such, so dealing with the horses in the stables really took its toll on him. It was worse whenever Jonfen came up and threw him even bigger piles of work, as if he had unlimited strength. He was just finishing his work on one of the stalls, his mind over in the kitchens where everyone was, when suddenly a cheery, eager voice interrupted his chicken pot pie fantasies...

"Hey, Hans!"

"Aah!"

Splash! Dirty, soapy water ran all over the stable floors, and the sudden sound of the bucket scared the horses, making them neigh and whinny in fear.

"Ugh! What do you...?! Olaf?" Hans said, surprised at the snowman's sudden presence at the stables.

"The one and only! Hey, you better clean that up before someone comes in. I wouldn't want you to get scolded." Olaf said, pointing at the bubbly, brown puddle behind Hans.

"I know that. But what are you doing here? I thought you were Elsa's pet or something." Hans said, taking a mop and starting to clean up.

"Hahaha! Very funny, mister." the snowman answered, taking Hans cheek and pulling it a little. "I'm a friend! Friends and pets are different. And Elsa sent me here to keep an eye on you."

"She did that, didn't she?" Hans said, raising a brow in slight annoyance.

"Yeah, she doesn't trust you'll do the job right. She thinks you'll try to run away to maybe do Anna some harm or something."

It was obvious she'd do that: not only did he have a conceited old lady and a smelly pain-in-the-butt named Jonfen behind, he had a wacky snowman that shouldn't even talk! Well, if that was how it was going to be, then he would gladly oblige. If she wanted to hold her grudge! He'd do exactly the same...

**A/N: I am so so so so so so so so sorry I took sooooo long with this chapter! I had such a good idea but then it just poofed away, then I got this nasty writer's block (I've been a year without writing something) and I'm still a bit rusty and without much confidence in what I write. Especially with that last part, I could've done a better job with Hans feelings and thoughts...and the whole scene overall. But still, here it is: the third chapter. ****I'll try to make the next chapter faster for you. ****Hope you guys like it, although I don't, and tell me what you think. ****Are the characters canon, or are they too OOC? ****What can I improve? Leave a review and tell me what you think :)**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: A little twist over here...

"Psst! Hans…oh, Haaaans…Hans! Wake up, for the love of…!

"Hrmgr…five more minutes…"

Genevieve huffed and crossed her arms, tapping her foot impatiently as she saw the new stableboy take his first nap on a haystack. Jonfen had discovered him asleep there just last night, after dinner, and left him there to get a backache. Now, early morning in Arendelle, she needed Hans to escort her to the market…and he slept like a log.

"Hans, if you do not get up _this instant_…" she hissed, losing her patience fast. All he did was turn his back on her.

"Ugh!" she growled. She looked around for something to wake him up, and found a stray bucket of water. A wicked smile crossed the lady's features.

"Oh, Haans…" she sang, taking the heavy bucket in her wrinkly fingers. Hans snored and turned around, just so the ice-cold water could fall all over his face and chest.

"AAAAH! GOODNESS gracious, woman, what is wrong with you?!" Hans jumped and yelped, already trembling from the cold morning air and the even colder water drenching his clothes and hair. Genevieve smirked and placed a hand on her hip like she was eight years old,

"You were not waking up. I had to do something."

"Well, what kind of wake-up call is that?"

"A proper one. Get up and change, we are going to the market." She said, throwing the bucket away and walking away with her proud stride. Hans growled from the violent trembles shaking his body, and he hugged himself, trying in vain to get warm,

"What for?" he asked, curious.

"I'm out of carrots for a soup. Now, now, hurry up! We do not have all day." She said, clapping her hands at Hans so he could hurry up. He shrugged a shoulder, letting the old lady clap his way to his official new room in the stables, which was just above the horse and was almost the same as his haystack on the level below them. When Hans saw how small and…peasant-like was his new room, he rolled his eyes. One day down, twenty nine to go…

* * *

Meanwhile, inside the castle, Elsa was sitting on her bed, wearing a blue snowflake nightgown and looking terribly tired. She couldn't sleep: there was something that bothered her about Hans. Even though she had given Genevieve, Jonfen and Olaf the responsibility of telling her everything he did and didn't do, it wasn't enough. It itched at her sides that she didn't know for sure if he was regretful or not for herself. It made her curious; sure, Hans was a villain like no other, almost as good as her in hiding his feelings, but did he truly regret everything? It made frost creep up the walls like vines just thinking about it!

After a good half hour long thought, she decided that, even though just a day had passed, that she would see how he was doing. After all, it was her duty as his caretaker (babysitter, kind of…?) to check on his progress. It wasn't such a bad idea.

"Yeah…yeah, that's what I'll do!" she said, jumping from the bed, her tiredness completely blown away. Today she would go check on Hans, just in case she had to send him away even without a full decent week's work. She'd hate to have him too long in Arendelle against his will…

"Wait." She snapped, looking at herself in the mirror. "Since when do you even care about that imbecile?" she scolded, throwing her hair back and getting ready for a new day.

* * *

"What do you mean, Hans isn't here? Where is he?" Elsa asked worried. Jonfen took a huge pile of hay with a pitchfork and placed it on a horse's stile, giving a slightly impatient sigh and shaking his head,

"I don't know your majesty. Genevieve isn't here either, I've been looking for her and I can't find either of them."

"Where could they be? And without telling me! Ugh…anyway, thank you, Jonfen, please continue."

"You're welcome, your highness." He said, bowing his head a little and giving the horses their food. As Elsa walked back to the castle, she thought in where and why Hans would've left. Had he escaped his duties because of…okay, a definite reason couldn't be given, but he could've escaped! And Genevieve too? It wasn't like her to just leave without notice. Then, she saw Olaf, strolling around with his penguin-like stride and his little black cloud over him.

"Perfect! Olaf!" she called, waving a hand. Olaf turned around, looking in every direction first before settling his eyes on Elsa and giving a happy, goofy smile.

"Oh, good morning, Elsa! Beautiful morning, isn't it?" he asked as he got closer to her.

"Yes, yes, but I need our help now." She said, also getting close to Olaf. Once they were together, she kneeled down and placed her hands over his shoulders.

"Something wrong, Elsa? You look really worried. Was it Hans?" Olaf asked, squinting his eyes with suspicion.

"No, well, yes, it's just…have you seen Hans or Genevieve around? I haven't seen them today."

"Hmm, let me think…" Olaf tapped his chin with a stick finger and looked up to the sky, trying to remember if he's ever seen them that morning.

"Hmmm…oh, yeah! I saw them in the market a few minutes ago! They were looking for all kinds of weird stuff like shiny tomatoes and big lettuce and…"

"Really? Oh, thank you, Olaf!" Elsa quickly interrupted, giving Olaf a hug.

"Oh, goody, I love hugs! Best prize ever." he sighed, settling his head on Elsa's shoulder. Elsa chuckled and pulled away, gently patting Olaf's head before walking away,

"Tell Hans I said hi!" Olaf yelled, waving a hand eagerly.

* * *

"Hmm, this seems a bit odd shaped…what do you think, Hans?" Genevieve asked, showing Hans a potato that kind of had a face. As Hans tried to balance all the bags of food she had given him, he took one small glance at the potato and growled,

"It's fine!"

"Mm, no I think its odd shaped. What kind of merchandise do you sell, young man?"

"Genevieve!

"Hmm, yes, Hans?"

"I thought we'd just buy carrots!" he winced under the weight of the bags. Genevieve laughed and shook her head,

"What? You did not think a soup only has carrots, right?" she said, laughing again and continuing her bargaining with the merchant. Hans had to lift a leg to keep one of the bags from falling. And this "soup" of hers also has eggs, right…?

He took a deep breath and tried to calm down. There was nothing he could do now, for he was no a prince anymore, so all his whining and complaining and cursing his superiors mentally were of no use. But he could still feel angry at having to carry 25 bags for only 2 hands and a leg. When one of the bags on top slipped from his grasp, he gasped and tried to get it with a leg, but could only see how it fell into a little boy's arms.

The two stared at each other, expecting the other to make a move. The boy was no more than six, but his wide brown eyes showed the hunger Hans wouldn't dream of experiencing. Still, the boy just gulped and raised the bag, handing it to Hans with a little gleam of reluctance in his eyes. Hans pressed his lips and sighed. Genevieve was going to kill him,

"Forget it, kid; take the bag." He said, nodding at him so he could leave. The boy giggled happily and jumped, running away with the bag with such joy…

Genevieve turned back and placed the bag of potatoes on top of the other bags carelessly. This made all the weight almost flow down to Hans' knees, who faltered for a moment, scaring Hans.

"Whoa! Could you be a little more careful with this? I'm the one carrying everything!"

"Take it like a man and stop complaining. We have one more place to go before we get back to the castle." Genevieve smiled.

"Tell me it's not the watermelon stand." Hans whined, a little higher than he wanted to. Genevieve just laughed; throwing her head back like it was the funniest joke in the world.

"Haha! No, silly, it's a surprise." She smirked. Hans growled and tried his best to adjust the whole load on top of him. He would have to ask Jonfen if he could borrow a wheelbarrow the next time Genevieve wanted to go shopping…

From afar, standing behind a vegetable stand, was the Snow Queen, eyes wide in startle at the scene she'd just seen. What was so great about someone sharing a whole bag of apples with a kid? That it came from Hans.

It was so unexpected she had to close her jaw before some bug came flying in. From everything that happened, from everything she'd heard from Anna, she would never, in a million years or more think that Hans would willingly give away something for someone if it didn't mean he would get something in return. He was a manipulative, selfish bastard

for all she knew...but this was a side of him she began to like. A soft smile crossed her features as she turned back to the castle, leaving the two walk to a caramel apple stand..

* * *

"Candy?" Hans asked, raising a brow. Genevieve smiled and nodded; she had two reddish brown apples in her hands, both of them dripping freshly coated caramel. She handed one to Hans, and said in a motherly tone

"Oh, my dear Hans has been so helpful today! The least he could get is a sweet treat for a sweet heart!"

"What?"

"If you don't like it, I can give it back." she snapped, her eyes clearly stating "Take it or leave it." Hans stared at the candy for a minute before settling the army of bags upon him on the floor and taking the caramel apple in his hand. Genevieve sat on the floor, legs crossed under her long skirt, looking at the bustling of activity in the market. But Hans just stood, looking at the apple.

When he was little, his older brothers were the ones to get the best treats while he only got the spares because he was the last one. Even his older sister got the best and she was the littlest girl! He was used to being ignored for his actions, and he thought that today wasn't going to be different. But there he stood, staring like an idiot at a not hardened caramel apple, a prize for helping someone, albeit unwillingly. For the first time in five months, Hans smiled warmly and took a bite out of the apple, sitting next to Genevieve. The two simply sat there, eating their treat and watching everything in silence. Hans felt like he had to say something, so he simply said,

"Thanks, Genvieve."

"You're welcome, Hans."

* * *

That night, as Hans finished the last of his chores and he got ready to go to sleep, he heard footsteps coming into the stables. He thought it was Jonfen, so he just turned around with an annoyed expression and started,

"Look, I lost a day because your old girlfriend took me shop...Elsa!" he gasped, taken aback at the Queen's presence in the stables. She was smiling softly, like she knew a secret he didn't, and walked around, looking at everything,

"Nice work."

"Um...thanks?" he said awkwardly, too surprised to think straight or even hate her that instant. He took a bucket from the floor as a diversion, and turned his back on her, walking to his room,

"What for?" He added from the stairs.

"For what you did today. I'd never imagine you so selfless as you were with that little boy in the market." Elsa replied, following Hans up the stairs.

"I'm not the idiot everyone claims I am, you know." he said.

"Well, you can't blame them too much; you did cause a lot of trouble five months ago and that's hard to forget." she said, looking around his room. Hans frowned and crossed his arms over his chest, leaning against the wall.

"Oh, _I_ caused a lot of trouble?" he sad, raising a brow. She turned around, raising a brow.

"Yes, you did."

"If I remember well, I wasn't the one who froze the entire kingdom solid, then made a huge snow monster and froze Anna solid too." he snapped. She gasped, placing a hand on her chest, and growled,

"You dare turn this around to me when it was **you** who wanted to kill her in the first place?"

"Well, I certainly didn't have to do much."

"You have no right to claim I did that on purpose, it was an accident! I'd never hurt her, you were the one who wanted to cause her harm, remember? You threw the sword down? _That_ wasn't me!" she snapped back,

"Well, it was you who closed the door in her face all those years ago! You weren't there for her when you were supposed to, you just cowered away in your room!"

"You miserable, selfish, manipulative..." she mumbled under her breath as she tightened her fist, frost beginning to snake up the walls. Ooh, Hans had touched a soft spot, he knew that already. Well, if he was going to stay there for a month, he might as well have a little fun in the mean time, right? It's not like she was going to have any kind of mercy over him any time soon...

"I might as well had ended her eternal journey behind you; oh, now that I think of it, how could she have felt all those years on the other side of the door? She told me, the night of the coronation. Not only was she pushed away by her big sister, the one she'd so admired and loved; I'll bet she also felt like the spare, the "other" princess in line, never getting to be the central point of a conversation between her parents or anyone else! I can relate to that, actually, being the spare, the invisible, all alone on the halls..."

"Shut up!" she screamed, flicking her wrists at him. Instantly, ice shot out of her hands, freezing his hands to the wall. Hans looked at his hands with slight fear, but only stifled a wicked chuckle as he turned back to her. She was infuriated; her eyes were wide open and burning, practically burning with anger, and her jaw was tightly shut as she breathed in an out like a wild animal.

"You..." she hissed, "have no idea what I've been through."

"You have no idea what I've been through either. What makes you think I can make you tick without something to teach me, hm?" he said, raising a brow.

"By the end of this week, you are out of this kingdom and I dearly hope your brothers deal with you like they should." she hissed again, turning around and leaving the stables in a flurry of snowflakes and frost. Hans shook his head, chuckling softly at how _easy_ it had been to change her mind. He thought for a moment he had to seduce her to get her to advance the date of his departure. At least he didn't have to pretend being in love; _seriously,_ who could love such a woman? Cold as the ice that escapes her fingertips, conceited like anything and above all, so hard to manipulate to his desire...although the last one was debatable.

Who said he still didn't have the touch?

**A/N: My GOD, I feel so evil for letting so much time pass before uploading this. Not only that, I have bad news to say: I'm going to have to put this story on hiatus for a good, long while. I don't want to do it, but I just don't want you guys waiting so long for one chapter. At this rate, I'll be uploading every month instead of every week like I said in the first one! I'm really sorry if I disappointed you guys, but this story has been hard to write down, and I've forgotten the whole plot altogether. It doesn't mean I'll completely abandon it: I'll just be pausing this story until I can have a decent plotline to follow and I can have the enthusiasm to write again. Thanks to all the people that followed, favorited and reviewed this story: it means a lot to me that you put this story into account. I'm sorry, once again, for being such an awful writer. Until next time, good bye.**

**-bedstories**


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